Free Fall
by brindil
Summary: There are unspoken lines you don't cross, like dating your twin's ex. Drabble.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Edward knocked on the door and waited, his hands thrust into the pockets of his pants. He was just about ready to walk away when the door was flung open.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" Bella asked.

"It's your birthday. We always get together on your birthday."

"But Emmett and I broke up."

He looked at her, his face impassive. "Does that mean it's not your birthday?" A thought occurred to him. "Unless you have other plans? I shouldn't have just assumed…"

She gave him a small smile. "I don't have any plans. Come on in."

He stood awkwardly in the front hallway while she closed the door, his hands still in his pockets.

"I thought you'd side with Emmett," she said quietly.

He turned to face her. "Emmett's family. Doesn't mean I always agree with him."

She tilted her head to one side. "You don't think he should have dumped me?"

"I think that's between the two of you. That doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Does he know you're here?"

He shrugged. "I told Esme I was coming over. I don't know if she mentioned it to him."

She started to walk down the hall, obviously expecting him to follow her. "You want something to drink?"

"I'll take a beer if you've got it."

The kitchen was small but bright, every surface spotless. Edward knew it was because she rarely cooked, not because she was a neat freak.

She pulled two beers out of the fridge, handed one to him, and they sat down at the table. Absently, he began to pick at the label. He'd been here dozens of times, eaten take-out at this table…but never without Emmett.

"This is weird," Bella said.

"I can go, if you want."

She looked up from the beer bottle. "No, stay. I'm glad you're here." She smiled at him, and if it wasn't as sunny and bright as normal, he didn't mention it.


	2. Chapter 2

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 **Chapter** **2**

They talked about going out to dinner, but in the end Bella decided she wanted to order in Thai food. They ate it sitting on the floor in the living room. Edward had taken off his tie and she was barefoot. They were just two friends sharing a meal…and it was the oddest thing Bella had done in years.

She sat back and listened as he told her about his newest project at the architecture firm he'd joined after college. It was the most she'd ever heard him say at one time. Emmett had suffered from verbal diarrhea, making it hard for anyone to get a word in edgewise, not that Edward was chatty to begin with.

He caught her staring at him, and she almost giggled when he blushed slightly. "What?" he asked defensively.

"I like hearing about what you do," she assured him. "It's a nice change from sports."

The oblique mention of Emmett gave them both pause. "Did he tell you why?" she finally asked, softly.

"Why what?"

"Why he broke up with me."

He shook his head.

"Oh. I was hoping there was a reason."

"Didn't he give you one?"

"No. Ten years together and all I got was some generic bullshit about us growing apart, and how it was him, not me." The twist of her mouth was bitter. "I actually thought he might give me an engagement ring for my birthday."

"Bella, I'm sorry."

"Were you surprised? I was surprised. But maybe you saw it coming? Maybe everyone saw it but me. We'd been together so long, you know? It just seemed like we'd always be together. Even if…"

"Even if what?" he prodded gently.

"Even if there were days when I wasn't sure why we were together," she admitted quietly.

He didn't answer her, just cocked his head to one side and waited. It was a little disconcerting.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

"What do you want me to say?"

She threw her hands up. "I don't know! Anything! You must have an opinion about all of this. Tell me what you think."

He looked hard at her, and she almost flinched beneath his gaze. "I think Emmett is an idiot," he finally said.

She melted a little. That was probably the nicest thing Edward had ever said to her. "Thank you. I kind of think he's an idiot too."

"But you still love him."

"Yeah."

"Do you want him back?"

"Ask me again in a week."


	3. Chapter 3

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 **Chapter** **3**

Emmett glanced away from the television when Edward walked into the living room of the apartment they were currently sharing. "Hey man. I was thinking about ordering a pizza. You interested?"

"Sorry, I'm on my way out."

"Ooooh, hot date?"

"Not exactly."

"So what is it, exactly?"

Edward stilled, his hand on his car keys. "I'm having dinner with Bella."

"Please tell me you're kidding," Emmett replied, an edge in his voice.

"She's my friend, Emmett."

"Yeah, and I'm your brother. Brothers trump friends in break-ups."

"I'm not taking sides in this."

"Oh, really? 'Cause it sure seems like you're taking her side. Since when do you and Bella hang out anyway?"

"Since her birthday."

"I see. So basically since the second we broke up. Nice to know where your loyalty lies."

"Don't do this."

"Do what? Wanting my twin to choose me over my ex-girlfriend?"

"I'm not choosing anyone over you. I don't see why I can't be friends with Bella. It's not like she dumped you."

"And that makes it all okay. Right. Sorry. My mistake. Have fun. Enjoy your date."

Edward sighed. "It's not a date."

"Maybe not now. But if you care about her so much, maybe it should be."

"You're overreacting."

"No, seriously. I hope the two of you are very happy together."

Edward walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

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 **Chapter** **4**

"What's wrong?" Bella asked as soon as she opened the door.

"Emmett. He…he wasn't thrilled about us having dinner."

She rolled her eyes. "Nice to know some things haven't changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Emmett thinks everything is about him." She suddenly looked panicked. "You're not here because of him, are you?"

"No."

She looked relieved. "Ready to go, then?"

"Sure."

The restaurant was crowded, but Edward had made a reservation, and they were seated within minutes. It was a prime table, next to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. "I'm impressed," Bella commented.

"My firm designed this place. It was the first project I worked on."

Her eyebrows arched up. "Now I'm even more impressed."

"What about you?" he asked. "How's your job going?"

"Really well. I'm leaving on Monday for a conference where I was asked to speak."

"That's great. Where's the conference?"

"New York. I'll be gone all week, but I'm looking forward to it. It's a huge honor."

"I guess tonight's a celebration, then."

She gave him a funny look. "I guess it is."

The waiter came by, and Bella tried not to look too shocked when Edward ordered a bottle of champagne. A rather expensive bottle of champagne.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think this was a date."

Edward froze. "It's not a date."

"Of course not."

"You're still in love with Emmett."

"And if I wasn't?"

He didn't flinch under her stare. "But you are."

She didn't push the topic. She just smiled as the champagne arrived, and told him all about her speech when he asked.


	5. Chapter 5

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 **Chapter** **5**

Edward was standing in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal when the phone rang at seven o'clock on Saturday morning. "Hello?"

"I hate jet lag," Bella greeted him. "Did I wake you?"

"No."

"Good God, why are you up so early?"

"Why'd you call if you thought I'd be asleep?"

"You're the only person I know crazy enough to be awake," she admitted.

"How was the conference?"

"Great. Everyone loved my speech. I think they might ask me back next year."

"Of course they will," he assured her. He hesitated, and then added, "I'm really proud of you, you know."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me. Hey, do you want to grab lunch later?"

"I can't. I'm going over to Carlisle and Esme's."

"Oh, okay. Well…you have a good time, then."

"We could go tomorrow. To lunch, I mean. If you want."

"I'd like that. Will you say hi to them for me?"

"Sure."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter** **6**

Carlisle was firing up the grill when Edward arrived at the house. Emmett, who had petulantly moved into Carlisle and Esme's guest bedroom after their argument about Bella, was playing checkers with six-year-old Alice. Edward was pleased to note that his niece was kicking his ass.

As always, Esme greeted him with a warm smile and an even warmer hug. "I'm so glad you could come today," she told him. "We don't see you often enough."

"Probably because he's too busy with Bella," Emmett remarked snidely.

Carlisle ignored Emmett's sarcasm. "How's Bella doing these days?"

"Pretty well, I think. She wanted me to tell you guys hi."

"That was sweet of her," Esme remarked. "Tell her that we miss her, okay?"

"Oh, give me a break!" Emmett cried. "What is this, the Bella Swan Appreciation Society? Gee, maybe if you're lucky, she'll still end up being your sister-in-law."

"That's uncalled for, Emmett," Carlisle told him sternly.

"Is it? Does no one in this family find it strange that Edward is all buddy-buddy with my ex-girlfriend?"

"What's an ex-girlfriend?" Alice asked.

Carlisle and Esme exchanged glances. "Maybe we can talk about that later, sweetie," Esme said. "Why don't you come help me put croutons on the salad?"

When they were gone, Carlisle turned to Emmett. "Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable? Bella is practically family. Why shouldn't she and Edward be friends?"

"Because I broke up with her!"

"Why did you break up with her?" Edward asked.

"What, didn't your new best friend tell you?"

"She didn't know."

Emmett looked away, and didn't answer immediately. Finally, he said, "Have you ever had a moment where you looked at your life, and it had been the same for so long that you couldn't even remember how it got that way in the first place?"

"So…you just got bored? With Bella?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Not bored, exactly," Emmett said defensively. "But we got together in high school. Bella's great, but I'm not sixteen anymore."

Seeing that Edward was about to argue, Carlisle said, "That's fair. People change. Relationships end."

Edward nodded, his jaw tight.

"I don't like to see you guys fighting," Carlisle continued. "Do you two think you can respect the other's opinion and move on?"

Edward nodded again. Emmett asked, "Are you going to see Bella again?"

"We're having lunch tomorrow."

"Of course you are. Fine. Do whatever you want. I'm going to help Esme and Alice."

Carlisle and Edward watched their brother walk away.

"I should have known he'd freak out about me being friends with her."

"But that didn't stop you."

"I didn't want her to feel like everyone was abandoning her."

Carlisle smiled. "You're a good man, Edward. How's Bella doing, really?"

"She still loves him."

Carlisle looked at him quickly. "And that bothers you?"

"I don't want to see her hurt."

"That's all?"

"We're just friends."

"Right. Forget I said anything." He turned back to the grill, leaving Edward to wonder when his life had gotten so complicated.


	7. Chapter 7

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 **Chapter** **7**

Edward met Bella for lunch at a café near the waterfront. She was already waiting when he arrived.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

She waved it off. "I was early. I think I'm still half on New York time. How was lunch with your family?"

"Esme told me to tell you they miss you."

Her face softened, and for a second he thought she might cry. "And Emmett?"

"Still…Emmett," he answered carefully.

"Did you fight again?"

His guilty look was answer enough, and she sighed. "I don't want to come between you two. It's really sweet that you want to stay friends, but I won't be responsible for screwing up your family."

"Hey, I thought I was the noble and self-sacrificing one in the group," he teased. "Look, Emmett will get over it eventually. Probably around the same time he grows up."

She flashed a tiny smile. "That could take years."

He suddenly looked serious. "Do you still want him back?"

"I don't know."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter** **8**

Edward glanced at the calendar on his desk and winced. Damn. How the hell had it gotten to be November? The deadline on the Fitzgerald job was just over three weeks away, and everything was going wrong.

Alec, one of the other architects, poked his head into the office. "Don't you ever go home?"

"You're still here," Edward pointed out.

"Yeah, but I have three screaming kids. It's more peaceful here. But you're young and single. Shouldn't you be painting the town red or something?"

"Do people still say that?"

Alec sat down in the chair across from him. "Tanya in accounting was asking about you today. Wanted to know if you were seeing anyone."

"I'm not interested," Edward replied automatically.

"Why not? She's hot and she likes you."

"Just not my type, I guess."

The other man looked at him carefully. "This is about that woman—Bella, isn't it?"

"Bella's just a friend. And my brother's ex."

"A friend." His tone was skeptical. "You sure see her a lot for just being friends."

"It's not like that."

"Yeah, well…maybe it should be."

 **~FF~**

Edward couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about what Alec had said. The whole thing was ridiculous. So what if he and Bella spent time together? Isn't that what friends did?

And, okay, maybe he hadn't been on a date for a while, but that didn't mean he wanted to date Bella. She and Emmett had only been broken up for two months. Hell, they could have been broken up for two years and it wouldn't matter. She was Emmett's ex.

So why couldn't he sleep?

 **~FF~**

"Are we still on for Saturday night?" Edward asked when Bella called him the follow day.

"Actually, that's why I called. Can we make it Sunday instead?"

"Sure, no problem. Got a hot date or something?"

"Well…yeah, I do, actually."


	9. Chapter 9

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 **Chapter** **9**

His head was throbbing, and the room didn't seem to be quite level. And someone was going to die soon if they didn't stop pounding on his damn door. He stumbled over and threw it open to find Bella on the other side.

"What are you doing here?" he mumbled.

She took in his messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and the boxers slung low on his hips. "Did you just get up? It's two in the afternoon."

"I had a late night."

"Apparently. Did you spend it with your friends Jose, Jack, and Jim?"

He glared at her. "You still haven't told me why you're here."

"I called five times. I got worried when you didn't answer. Now are you going to let me in or not?"

He stood aside to let her enter, and rubbed a hand across his still-bleary eyes. "I'm going to make coffee. You want any?"

"I'll make the coffee. You go shower. You smell like stale booze."

He didn't argue.

Bella bustled around the kitchen, starting the coffeemaker and rummaging in the fridge. She might hate cooking, but she could manage toasting a bagel and maybe making some bacon. It worried her to see Edward like this. She didn't think she'd ever seen him drunk or hungover. So why now?

She looked up when she heard footsteps, and for a moment it was like they were back in high school. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a white wifebeater, and his hair was still wet from the shower. He looked exhausted and a little nauseous, and something about it made her heart clench.

She handed him a steaming mug of coffee. "Why the sudden urge to binge drink?"

"It was no big deal. I just went out with some of the guys from work. How was your date?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Lame. He spent the whole night talking about the stock market or something. I stopped listening after a while."

"Sounds like a real winner."

"Yeah. I would have rather gone to the movies with you."

He looked up, surprised at the admission. "Me too."

Something shifted, and Bella suddenly found herself fascinated by the pattern of the tile floor. "I should probably go. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Yeah."

He walked her to the door, and slumped against it when she was gone. He was in so much trouble.


	10. Chapter 10

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 **Chapter** **10**

Dinner that night was awkward. For the first time since they started this…whatever it was…they didn't seem to know what to say to each other. As Edward paid for the movie tickets, he was relieved that they wouldn't have to try to make conversation for the next two hours.

They were waiting in line at the concession counter when they heard a familiar laugh. They both turned, and saw Emmett talking to a pretty blonde. They were holding hands, and obviously on a date.

"Oh, God," Bella whispered, the color draining from her face.

"You want to go? We can go. Let's just go."

She shook her head. "No. I want to see the movie. I'm not going to let Emmett Cullen dictate my life."

The theater wasn't crowded, but they still climbed all the way to the top row because Bella liked it best. Just before the previews started, they saw Emmett and his date walk in.

"You okay?" Edward asked.

"I'll be fine."

The movie started, but neither of them was paying attention. Bella's eyes were fixed on Emmett, and Edward was watching Bella. When Emmett put his arm around his date's shoulders, Edward saw a tear slide down Bella's cheek. Taking her by the hand, he stood up and led her out of the theater.

They drove back to her apartment in silence, and he followed her to her door. She managed to make it inside before she lost it. Her knees buckled and she started to sob.

Edward scooped her up before she hit the floor, and carried her to the couch. He held her while she cried, and tentatively patted her back. He honestly would have preferred anger to tears.

After a little while she quieted, and pulled away from him. Drawing her knees up to her chin, she wrapped her arms around her legs. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"You don't have to apologize. You love him."

She shook her head. "It's not that. I don't even want to be with him anymore. Seeing him with someone else just drove home that it's really over."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You've done more than enough. I don't know what I would have done without you these last few months."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

Her smile was a little sad. "Yeah. Friends."

He didn't reply, and the silence stretched, became awkward. "You want to watch a movie or something?" he finally asked.

"I think I'm just going to crawl into bed, actually. Sorry to be such a drag."

"Don't worry about it."

She walked him to the door. Before he could open it, she threw her arms around his neck in an impulsive hug. Startled, it took him a moment before he settled his arms around her back.

"Thank you…for everything," she whispered, and the feel of her warm breath against his neck had him tightening his grip ever so slightly.

"You're welcome."

She didn't let go, and he forced himself to pull away before he did something colossally stupid. "I'd better go."

"Yeah," she murmured, and he tried to tell himself that he didn't hear regret in her voice.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"'Night."


	11. Chapter 11

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 **Chapter** **11**

Edward hadn't seen Bella in two weeks. It sucked, but he kept telling himself that it was the right thing to do. If he kept spending time with her, things were going to get messy. Every time she called, he begged off making plans, using work as an excuse. It was mostly true. He heard the hurt in her voice the last time they talked, but it was better this way.

Except for the part where it really, really sucked.

"You're avoiding me."

He looked up, and somehow he wasn't surprised to find her in his office, eyes flashing, lips pursed.

"I'm not avoiding you," he protested, and even to him it sounded like a lie. "I really have been busy with work."

"So when will you not be busy? Don't they let you out on weekends?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Then pick a day. I'm not leaving until you do."

He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

She stared at him, and her face fell. "Are you mad at me?" she suddenly asked.

His head jerked up. "What? Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. I thought we were having fun hanging out, and then I had my Emmett-related freakout, and you sort of disappeared." Her brow furrowed. "Are you two fighting again?"

"No." They really weren't talking, either.

"And you're seriously not mad at me?"

"I promise, I'm not mad."

"Then can we please do something together?"

There were plenty of things he wanted to do with her, and all of them would earn him an ass-kicking from Emmett. "What did you have in mind?"

A flash of color on his desk caught her eye, and she picked up the card. It was an invitation to some cocktail party his firm was throwing. "What about this?"

"Are you sure? It might be kind of boring."

"With me there?" she grinned. "It'll give me an excuse to buy a new dress."

He couldn't help smiling. "If you really want to go, then I'd love to have you there."

"Then it's a date!" she chirped, and walked out of the office.


	12. Chapter 12

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 **Chapter** **12**

Edward was pretty sure he was going to throw up. He was supposed to pick up Bella in twenty minutes, and he couldn't seem to tie his damn bow tie. She'd told him she'd bought a new dress. And new shoes.

She called it a date.

He was going to puke, and then he was going to hell.

He finally managed to twist the tie into something resembling a bow, and headed out the door. He was at Bella's place promptly at 7:45, trying very hard not to sweat.

When she opened the door, he had to remind himself to breathe. She looked incredible. Not that he hadn't seen her look incredible before, but it had never hit him like this.

Her dress was green, a deep, rich emerald green that shimmered as the silky fabric moved. It was short, only reaching to the middle of her thigh, and it was held up by two tiny straps that he knew would break with a sharp tug from his teeth.

Not that that was ever going to happen.

He let out a low whistle. "Wow. You look amazing."

She grinned, and everything slid back to normal. "Thanks! You look pretty handsome yourself."

He tugged at his bow tie. "It took me forever to tie this damn thing."

She reached up to straighten it, and he nearly choked when her fingers grazed his skin. Taking a step back, she murmured, "Perfect."

"You ready to go?" he asked.

When she nodded, he held out his arm for her to take, and she was reminded of prom, all those years ago. Hopefully, no one would get punched tonight.


	13. Chapter 13

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 **Chapter** **13**

Edward had been right—the cocktail party was a little boring. She didn't know anyone, and he kept getting drawn into conversations about architecture that she didn't really understand. Every once in a while he would throw her a nervous look, but she just smiled gamely. She liked being here with him.

An older gentleman, who Edward had pointed out as one of the partners in the firm, stepped up to the podium at the front of the room. "Welcome. I'd like to thank all of you for coming tonight. This is a special night, as we take the next step in what I hope will be a long and fruitful partnership with Fitzgerald Industries. Now for the reason we're here. To tell you all about the wonderful new design for their world headquarters, I'd like to introduce the project leader, Edward Cullen."

Stunned, Bella watched as Edward made his way to the microphone. He hadn't even told her what an important night this was for him. She'd just invited herself along, and he never objected.

As the clapping died down, a dark-haired man stepped closer to her. "You must be Bella," he murmured.

She nodded. "And you are?"

"Alec Volturi. I work with Edward."

"Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine. So how long have you and Edward been together?"

She blushed slightly. "Oh, no, we're just friends."

"Really? He talks about you all the time. I just assumed…" At her stunned look, he added, "My mistake. I'm sorry. Enjoy your evening."

He walked away, a sly smile on his lips. Like hell they were just friends.

Bella stood there, shocked. She took one last look at Edward, who was still speaking, and then she dashed from the room.

Edward watched her run away, wondering what the hell had just happened. He managed to make it through the rest of his speech, and then brushed off the people congratulating him. He had to find Bella.

She was standing outside the banquet hall, staring up at the sky. There was a chill in the air, and she had wrapped her arms around herself. Edward slipped out of his tuxedo jacket and placed it gently around her shoulders. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

She turned to face him. "You weren't ever going to tell me, were you? You never would have done anything about it."

"What are you talking about?"

Bella brought one hand up to cup his face, her thumb caressing his cheek. Sliding her hand around to the back of his neck, she tugged gently. When he bent his head, she leaned up to kiss him. It was tentative at first, and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to respond at all. Then she heard him groan, and his fingers threaded in the long, loose curls of her hair, and he was kissing her back.

Oh, God, was he kissing her back. All the focus and determination that she'd seen him bring to school, to work, to family—all of it was on her now.

And then, in an instant, he was gone, pulling away from her, eyes wide and guilty.

"We can't do this," he told her, and the pain in his voice was heartbreaking.

"Because of Emmett."

He nodded. He could see that she was angry, knew that she wanted to argue, to fight for this. To fight for them. Instead, she just nodded. "Okay. Let's go back inside."

He held out his hand, and they walked in together. And Edward didn't have the first clue what had just happened.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter** **14**

Carlisle was expertly spreading cream cheese on a bagel when someone started knocking on the front door. He probably should have been surprised to find Bella on his front step, but very little surprised him these days.

"Bella! How lovely to see you. What brings you by?"

"I'm in love with your brother," she informed him.

"Oh. Well, Emmett is still asleep, but if you'd like to wait…"

"Not that brother."

He took a step back. "Would you like a bagel?"

~FF~

The last thing Emmett Cullen expected when he got out of bed was to find Bella in the kitchen, eating a bagel with Carlisle. "Bella? What are you doing here?"

She looked at him, her eyes hard. "We need to talk."

"That's never good. Do you mind if I have some coffee first?"

"Now, Emmett."

"Yes, now sounds excellent. Let's just go in the other room…"

"Here's good."

"Here. Of course. Here is excellent."

"Are you still in love with me?"

"What? Bella…"

"Just answer the question. I'm not going to cry or have a hissy fit if you say no."

"Oh. Well. No."

She nodded. "Do you hate me?"

He looked stricken. "I could never hate you."

"So you want me to be happy?"

"Of course."

"No matter who it is that makes me happy?"

His face hardened. "This is about Edward, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"I can't believe this! How can he do this to me? There's, like, a code!"

"He's not doing anything to you, Emmett. Even worse, he's not doing anything to me. And do you know why? Because of you. Because you're his brother, and he loves you, and this family is the most important thing in the world to him. He'd rather be miserable than risk losing you. So how does it feel, knowing that you hold his happiness in the palm of your hand? Is it a good feeling? Does it make you feel powerful?"

"But it's you, Bella," he protested feebly.

"Yes, it's me. And Edward. Both of us unhappy, because of you."

He sat silent, not knowing what to say.

"I thought you were a better person than this," Bella told him sadly. "Goodbye, Emmett."

He watched her walk out, and then turned to his older brother, who was still eating his bagel.

"I think you know what you have to do," Carlisle said.


	15. Chapter 15

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 **Chapter 15**

Five days. It had been five days since she confronted Emmett. Five days and nothing had happened.

She wasn't sure what she had even expected to happen. She didn't really think that Edward was going to come running to her side, sweep her off her feet, and declare his undying love.

Although it would have been nice.

She didn't even know if Emmett had talked to Edward. He might still be sulking. Not like it would be the first time.

She stared at her phone, willing it to ring, willing it to be Edward.

The phone rang and she smiled. She so totally had mind-control powers. "Hello?"

"Bella. Hey."

"Hey Edward. What's up?"

"Busy with work, mostly. Now that we have the design approved, things are going to get really crazy."

"I guess I won't be seeing very much of you, then."

"I don't know, I can probably find some time. I was actually wondering what you were doing this Friday. I thought maybe we could grab dinner or something."

Grab dinner or something? Gee, that sounded romantic. "Sure, that sounds fine. Did you have any place...special in mind?" she asked hopefully.

"Oh, nothing fancy. Seven o'clock okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine."

She resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room. It looked like she was having dinner with her good friend Edward on Friday.

Damn it.


	16. Chapter 16

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 **Chapter 16**

Bella scowled at her reflection in the mirror. If Edward just wanted to be best buddies, she certainly wasn't going to spend hours primping for him. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt to show him what he was missing. She finally settled on a long, flowing skirt and a light sweater, knowing it was cool out.

He knocked on the door promptly at seven, and she tried not to look upset when she answered it. He looked amazing, wearing khakis and a dress shirt that made his eyes look insanely green. She'd always known he was gorgeous, but it had never really mattered before.

He smiled at her, and she tried to remember that they were just friends, and that she was totally okay with that. "You ready to go?" he asked.

She nodded, and was surprised when he held his hand out to her. Taking it, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see. So…how have you been?"

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess. You're really not going to tell me where we're going?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."

She pouted. "I could act surprised."

He laughed. "I'm sure you could. But just let me do this, okay?"

"Fine," she sighed.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of Edward's apartment. She turned to him, confused. "Did you forget something?"

"No, this is where we're having dinner."

"Here? You know, when you said 'nothing fancy,' I didn't realize you meant ordering pizza and drinking beer."

"Probably because that's not what I meant."

"What?"

"Will you just trust me?"

She sighed and got out of the car. "Fine. But this better not suck, Edward."

He walked around the car and took her hand. He was doing that a lot lately.

They walked up to his apartment, and Edward unlocked the door. He flipped on the lights, and as far as Bella could tell, everything looked normal. Where was the big surprise?

She found out when they turned the corner into the kitchen. The small table was elegantly set for two, with china that Bella recognized as Esme's, and two tall ivory tapers just waiting to be lit.

"What is all this?" she gasped.

"I thought I'd make you dinner…and we can talk."

Turning around, she looked him in the eye. "Is this a date?"

He nodded slowly, keeping his expression neutral.

"Oh." Her face grew warm, and she ducked her head.

He tipped her chin back up. "If it's okay with you, that is. I thought since you went to all the trouble of talking to Emmett…it was the least I could do."

"You talked to Emmett?"

He nodded, sliding one hand around her waist and pulling her a little closer.

"And he's okay with…this?"

"It's going to take him some time to adjust to, but yeah." His hand stroked small circles on her back. "I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"I should have been the one to confront Emmett."

She smiled up at him. "You had a lot more to lose. But," she added, taking another step closer, "if you really feel guilty, I'm sure there are ways you can make it up to me."

His free hand came up to cup her neck. "What did you have in mind?"

She pressed her hands to his chest, toying with one of the buttons on his shirt. "For starters, we can finish that kiss from the other night. After that…it's negotiable."

He closed the distance between them, found her mouth with his. As her lips parted beneath his, he decided he was going to like negotiating with her.


End file.
